2011 Pre-nomination Grammy List: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best new Artist, Best Jazz Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album Non-Classical
A native New Yorker, Ruth is an accomplished jazz vocalist with classic Jazz sensibilities.
She delivers soulful interpretations and clever phrasing with a silky, smooth vocal quality. Her dead - on improvisational skills and a natural sense of timing draw you in almost instantly. She holds a BA in Music from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. She returned to NYC to study Jazz and attended the Singer’s Forum where she studied with David Epstein (Piano) and Mark Wade (Bass). She also studied with Jazz Greats such as Tierney Sutton, Roseanna Vitro and Ann Hampton Callaway. Her CD “An Invitation”, reveals new facets of familiar material and shines a light on lesser known songs. Her Latin Heritage is celebrated with her arrangements of “The Nearness of You”, “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and “You Can’t Rush spring”. Her love of all things “Billie” is exquisitely shown in the ballads “You’ve Changed”, “Good Morning Heartache” and “Don’t Explain”.
Music Reviews
“She sings sweet and high and has a great sound that’s easy to get into. The crew behind her is right in step and even if this is low key, don’t mistake it for easy listening. This girl has it all on the ball.”
“Although it is impossible to know by listening to her debut recording. Ruth Aguilar started her career as a classical singer, worked in musical theatre and as an actress – but seven years ago when she met David Epstein, her career took an unexpected turn. She was inspired to dedicate herself to becoming a Jazz singer. Since the singer’s first love was Jazz, the switch in her career was ultimately logical.”
“Throughout ‘An Invitation’ Ruth Aguilar who co-wrote all the arrangements with David Epstein, is in very impressive form. This easily recommended set makes one look forward to her to her future recordings and seeing her perform live.”
— Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
“Before receiving ‘An Invitation’ in the mail, I was unfamiliar with the work of New Jersey vocalist ruth Aguilar. Having listened to the disc, I look forward to catching her at a gig. She displays a wonderful Jazz sensibility and has chosen a program that fits her style to a ‘T’. This is definitely among the better first-time out albums that I have heard. Look for the disc and for her appearances in the Garden state!”
— Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz Magazine
“You’ll definitely want to respond in the affirmative to Ruth Aguilar’s release, An Invitation. This classically trained New York artist brings, an effortless, self-assured, smooth quality to a timeless assortment of Jazz singles.
As a co-arranger (with David Epstein), Aguilar doesn’t overproduce or over-process the elements of the song but allows each one to take its time and achieve fruition. Two perfect examples are heard in the sublime ‘You Can’t Rush Spring’, which places the listener in an intimate setting with singer and piano and ‘Four’ where nothing is rushed – voice and instruments shine separately and as one. In ‘You Don’t know What Love is’ Aguilar offers a tantalizingly sultry deeper tone combined with her signature clear highs and sparkling effervescence bubbles over in ‘What A little Moonlight Can Do’. The feeling one gets from this collection is that crystalline vocals are second nature to this songstress, delivered with a depth and emotion palpably felt in ‘The Nearness of you’. The final track ‘Moody’s Mood for Love/I’m in the Mood for Love’ is a perfectly timed duet with just the right touches. An Invitation should not be missed!”
— Lilly Emeralde and Emma Dyllan, Phosphorescence Magazine